


Attack

by gateship



Series: Avengers Assemble [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Gen, X2: X-Men United mini spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-13
Updated: 2013-08-13
Packaged: 2017-12-23 08:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/923862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gateship/pseuds/gateship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mutant attacks and tries to kill the President of the United States. Days later a mutant attacks the entire population of the world. Tony personally thought it felt like his brain was liquefying. (Pre Iron Man)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Attack

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place pre Iron Man but during X-Men 2. Very slight spoilers for X2. 
> 
> Part of the “Avengers Assemble” series but can be read as a standalone.

On November 6, 2006 Tony Stark was working in his garage while running on almost no sleep for the past 48 hours. His music was screaming through the room, almost in anticipation for one Pepper Potts to come clicking down the stairs to turn it off and lecture him about the importance of whatever meeting he was supposed to be attending in the next couple of hours.

The pain that struck was sudden, blinding, and completely unanticipated. He was barely aware of falling to the ground and Jarvis’s voice calling out for him in steady, patient tones.

He had no idea where the hell the pain was coming from or why there was pain or even how long it lasted. All he knew was that it felt like his brain was on fire or liquefying or something that meant _pain_.

And then, as suddenly as it had started, it was all over. He lay on the floor gasping as he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.

“Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark, can you respond?”

“Yes Jarvis?” Tony was not really all that surprised to hear how weak and pained his voice sounded.

“Are you well, sir?”

“Yes Jarvis. Of course I’m all right after getting my brain melted,” Tony said sarcastically. He paused, trying to push himself up off of the floor and failing miserably. “Where’s Pepper?”

“Ms. Potts is in her office, sir. She seems to have suffered the same effect that you did, Mr. Stark.”

That brought Tony up short. “She what?”

“Ms. Potts collapsed just as you did, Mr. Stark. You both seemed to be suffering from some sort of,” Jarvis paused, seemingly unable to name exactly what happened. “Some sort of unseen trauma. The two of you were under the effects of this unseen trauma for precisely three minutes.”

“How is she? Where is she?”

“She is currently lying on the floor of her office.”

Tony pushed himself to his feet, feeling just a bit more pain than he’d like to admit to. He honestly felt like he’d been in a fight and lost very, very badly, which was strange considering the fact that there wasn’t any physical trauma. He headed up the stairs and to Pepper’s office, stumbling and almost tripping a couple times.

“Pepper? Are you okay?” he called.

“Not really,” she called back wearily as she made her way to her doorway. She leaned heavily on the frame and rubbed her fingers against her temples as she asked, “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. The Blackberry sitting on her desk began to ring.  

“Hello? Jim?” she asked after picking it up. “Yeah, give me just a second.” She pressed a button on the phone and Rhodey’s voice became audible.

“Tony? Pepper? You guys okay?”

“What do you mean?” Pepper asked.

“You didn’t get hit with the psychological warfare?” Rhodey asked them.  

“Is that what you think that it was?” Pepper asked cautiously.

Rhodey paused but said, “We’re not quite sure what it was.”

“Well it hurt like a bitch,” Tony said frankly. “My head is still killing me.”

“But you’re all right, right? And did you both get hit at the same time?”

“Same time?” they ask in unison.

“You mean there was more than one attack?” Tony asked.

“Yeah. There were two,” Rhodey said. He didn’t elaborate, but sounded decidedly awkward and like he was hiding something. “So, same time?”

“According to Jarvis. I was downstairs.”

“I’ll call you back if there’s an update. The thing seems to have been fairly widespread.”

“You think this has to do with the mutant that attacked the President a few days ago?” Tony asked.

“I don’t know,” Rhodey said. “I’ll get back to you.”

Almost as soon as Pepper hung up her phone rang again and she answered quickly. “Carolyn? What’s –,” Pepper said, getting cut off by the woman on the other end. Then Pepper said, “I’m fine, what happened?” Pepper waited for a response and then her eyes narrowed. “Carolyn,” she said slowly. “Just what exactly _haven’t_ you told me?” Another pause where Pepper began to look rather worried and concerned. “Carolyn, what is going on? I will call someone else. I need to know if the others are alright too.” After a moment she frowned at the phone and set it down. “She hung up on me.”

“Who was that?” Tony asked.

“My sister,” Pepper said, glaring at the phone.

“Is everything alright with her?” Tony asked somewhat awkwardly.

“I don’t think so,” Pepper said. “She said she’d call me back.”

****

Hours later in the President’s Address to the country the attacks was explained.

The two attacks had been mutant in origin, but by human _and_ mutant design. A military man gone rogue had created a machine that would allow a telepathic mutant to attack other mutants at a global level if they were powerful enough. That first attack had been stopped by Magneto, saving all the mutants. Magneto had other ideas in mind though, and used his powers over metal to change the machine so that another attack would be directed at the human population of the planet.

The second attack had been stopped by the telepath’s allies. He and the X-Men were not the kind to attack humans or mutants.

There were obviously holes in the story, such as how exactly the telepath had been taken and who had taken him. Not to mention how Magneto had gotten out of his specially designed prison. But the President was adamant that this was not the mutants’ fault and that it would be looked into.

Pepper could only stare mutely at the TV during the entire explanation. Once the President disappeared from the screen and news anchors began debating whether or not mutants should be trusted and the state of the currently in debate Mutant Registration Act she glanced at Tony out of the corner of her eyes.

Tony was fairly certain that she didn’t know that he had noticed. Only after the fourth time she glanced at him did he ask, “What?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing, Mr. Stark.”

“Do you think it was a mutant that did it?”

She took a deep breath before saying, “I think that it’s a distinct possibility, however it would most likely take a mutant of a very powerful level of mental acuity. That being said, I don’t doubt the possibility of Magneto’s involvement in all of this.”

“What’s your opinion on mutants?”

“Do I have to answer this, or are you merely curious, Mr. Stark?”

“Just curious.”

She paused, thinking over her answer carefully. “I believe that mutants are just like any other people; there are some good ones and some bad ones. Just because they have a few different genes that allow them to possess some unique abilities or powers doesn’t mean that they automatically become villains in the world. Some mutants have useful powers.”

“Are you speaking from experience here, Potts?”

She was flustered, incredibly so and Tony’s curiosity about her reaction skyrocketed.

“No. I mean not all of the powers that mutants may have can be detrimental to society. Magneto’s power could be quite useful in certain situations. It’s his methods and his belief that all of humanity is a threat to mutants that make him a menace.”

“Have to say I agree with you there,” Tony sighed, making her even more flustered. “Hey, I’ve met a few mutants in my life,” he explains. He frowned and murmured, “Probably slept with a few too.”

Pepper refuses the urge to roll her eyes as she stood. “Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

“The meetings for today have been cancelled, right?”

“Yes, Mr. Stark. They were cancelled just after the attack.”

“Then yes, that will be all, Ms. Potts.” 


End file.
